Report: Dodge Viper to Be Revived with V-8 Power

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV plans to resurrect the Dodge Viper in late 2020, Car and Driver reports.

Production of the fifth-generation Viper (pictured) ended last summer. FCA is converting the Detroit assembly plant used for the Viper into a museum. As a result, the new model likely will be produced by an outside contractor, C and D speculates.

The Viper’s signature V-10 engine likely will be replaced with a new 550-hp aluminum V-8, which Chrysler is developing to replace its aging Hemi V-8. The report says a supercharged variant of the new V-8 could bump output to 700 hp.

The 2021-model Viper will be launched as a convertible with a coupe to follow later, according to the enthusiast magazine. A GT3 motorsports variant also is said to be in the works.

FCA could unveil the revived Viper next January at the Detroit auto show, which C and D notes would be the 30th anniversary of the original Viper concept’s debut.